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Chapter 214 – Sunset over Kirinyaa

  There are many types of debt a man’s heart be beholden to.

  A warning is the debt of fear; it is easy to pay back with bravery. Ce bought by strength or by stupidity, aher o be especially great either. Loyalty is the debt of love. But love is not steady, it waxes and wanes. And love have petition, a man who loves his own life will rarely choose another, no matter how much love there is.

  For debt to be a true stranglehold, it must stand alo needs no petition. Its price ever be stiputed yet it ever be given freely. It o be so crushing aernal that men remember it till the end of days, yet it o be so gehat man is not tied to it in any way but from within oneself. There is only one such act I have found to be as tender yet so heavy, ohat leaves a wouernal yet uhere are not enough s to pay for it, nor is any bour suffit: fiveness.

  - Excerpt from Arascus’ own writings. Untitled. Kept within the White Pantheon’s Closed Library.

  The words “court is about to begin” echoed through Kirinyaa’s grand court as Kassandora looked up at the judges, she took stood behind the little location that was supposed to be her stand. She maintained her stoic expression as she looked over at the various people and the grand court. A triumphant building, all the walls painted with white and gold, without any windows but grand deliers to illumi instead. They hung on long s, but they weren’t anywhere closer to the floor of marble tiles. The ceiling itself was high enough to stack Kassandora ten times on herself and still have room for ah.

  “On trial is Goddess Kassandora, of War.” The lead judge said. “To be charged with: endangerment of life, needless cruelty…” The judge took a deep breath as he bli the piece of paper. “Seventy five thousand, seven hundred and two charges of arson. Three hundred and twelve charges of williru of heritage. Six hundred and fifty seven charges of corruption. Five charges of money undering.” As the judge read it aloud, his voice grew low. Kassandora khat feeling of pure awe very well, she too would struggle to say something like that seriously. “Seven thousand, three hundred and twe charges of mansughter…” And another. “Five thousand, four hundred and forty three charges of murder in the first degree.” He took a deep breath and finally finished. “And one charge of treason in the highest degree.”

  Kassandora said nothing. They were throwing everything and anything at her in the hopes. She would have simply goh the sireason charge, this was already a bad look for Mwai’s prosecution. Turning her into a money underer was little more than a joke. The judge spoke again, on that row of seven, eae in a white and gold cloak. A remnant tradition carried over from the White Pantheon. “Do you cim guilt for any of the charges? Your are entitled to verse with your wyers if you wish.”

  Kassandora turned back as her eyes swept across the room. Mateusz’s team sat in front of her. Twelve men, soldiers she had picked out herself. Helenna had said there would be no point for her to be here, not when Kassandora had this quality of man with her, and then sneakily hinted if she could get a whole ptoon to work for her in permanence.

  Behind them were the cameras. Kirinyaa’s KTV in the very tre, the Alliahing in Epa, Doschia’s The World Today. Journalists from the UNN, from Guguo, from all Arika. The prosecution was oher side of the aisle, more cameras behind them. Only four souls, two men, two women, all looking as if they were out of their element. Kassandora had not a shred of sympathy for them, they should have prepared for a show the moment they saw her name on the papers.

  Kassandora pushed her microphone away, it was only mortals after all. She took a step from the stand, spread her arms out, made sure to throw her crimson hair back as she did it, and spoke loudly enough for everyoo hear. “I decre I am not guilty of all the falsities that besmirch my name.”

  Helenna took a deep breath as she ied herself in the mirror o time. Bck HAUPT suit today, as was her hair, that would have to be kept under trol for a while. She readjusted the colr of her dark shirt and smoothed the long coat that fell to her heeled boots. A quick touch of the earpieake sure it was turned on. It blinked a blue light and made a small beep to firm it was awake. Helenhe air out of her lungs ahe thrill of her heartbeat. It was time to begin.

  She made her way to door. Arascus would run the military aspect today and Helenna had the seost important job. Managing the people as to not cause a riot. But first, she had to deliver a suitcase. One filled with all the sordid details she had found evidenwai’s wrongdoing. The cases of corruption, the diary of deviancy. Worst of all, it had mention of direct collusion with the White Pantheon! After all, the details he knew, only White Pantheon members were aware of. And ones in high pces at that.

  No one would be able to tell it was her hand that had written them.

  Mateusz leaned back, arms crossed as one of the four wyers Mwai had enlisted stood iand. Kassandora stood opposite him, grim-faced. They were iioning, it had taken two hours to get through the initial proceedings, and those were merely making Kassandora of the penalties. Then everyoook a shot Mateusz and his team. Unqualified, new, why did Kassandora even trust them? She had answered simply, who better to represehan her own men? And then she had added that if they were so inpetent, then the case should be easy victory for them. That had left Mwai’s four wyers in a sour mood.

  The man at the stand sounded as if he didn’t know whether to press the Divine oher side of the room hard, or whether he should. “What sort of succession is implemented in the military in order to prevent it from lying at the hands of one person forever?” Mateusz made a quient, a slight lean to the left, his urning right. It would look bad if they were caught on camera unig with each other, but such small movements could be easily overlooked. And they were all trained in hand signs already, so learning new movements was no difficulty for any of them.

  “Obje on the basis of relevaheodore said from behind. “How does that rete to any of the charges at hand?” The seven judges looked at Theodore and then at themselves. They shared slow calg gaze between each other, the tre one banged his gavel.

  “Obje sustained. Goddess Kassandora, you do not have to ahis question. We will not take it into at of your case if you remain silent.” Kassandora smiled and shook her head.

  “I answer.” Kassandora said. “When the army was created, I was already drafting a bill on succession, but with the White Pantheon Invasion, I made the decision that such things could be left for after the victory.” She kept her face straight, Mateusz struggled to think up of a more perfeswer than that. Who could argue against such perfect pragmatism? And the reminder of victory would only make his defle onto Mwai even easier.

  “Very well.” The judge responded as the prosecution wyer looked to his team. Dour, downcast faces all. What did they expect? He took a breath and asked another question.

  “In regards to succession, what sort of method you going to use?” Mateusz repeated the movement. Theodore repeated his statement. The judge repeated the question to Kassandora.

  And Kassandora decred she would answer again. “The method would already be public if it passed my standards. I have multiple theories running.” Mwai’s wyer had his follow up ready for her, he started speaking as soon as Kassandora finished.

  “And whatever this hypothetical method is, it will minimize the ces of corruption and the military usurpation?” Mateusz repeated the movement, but he moved his arm at the same time. This was good, he did not care what sort of image the public got of him, the whole goal was to make Kassandora look as benevolent as possible.

  “Obje on the basis of relevaheodore said and stood up. “How does that questioo any of the charges at hand? And I would advise your honour to not allow the Goddess answer else this line of questioning be extended for days, she will early respond to everything.”

  Once again the judges took a pause. This time a few leaned close together and spoke in hushed voices. Mateusz could not hear them, but he could tell from the burn in Kassandora’s eyes that she was happy with the result. It took a whole of whispering for the tre judge to bang his gavel again. “Obje sustained. In regards to this line of questioning, the crees. Goddess Kassandora, do not ahis question.”

  “I uand.” Kassandora replied.

  Mateusz looked at the team of prosecutors, if this was the quality of their questions, then this wouldn’t be a battle. It would be a sughter.

  Arascus hovered through the air, past grand skyscrapers and buildings of sandstouries old. Over bridges, until he left the crowds behind him. The tens of thousands who had left their homes to e ahe Goddess who had saved them be sent to their gra court. Banners were flying in the air, some where being carried by the citizens below him, other were draped from balies as if they were trying to make the buildings themselves procim support for Kassandora.

  There was no ter-protest, there was nothing attempt to try and corral them bae. The police were of the same opinion as the civilians after all. He looked down and saw twelve Lynx tanks slowly peel away from the crowd. Trucks filled with Kassandora’s soldiers on their backs started to scream momentarily as their eurned on with a rattle. Arascus watched them, watched police gently push more people away as they pushed people out of the vehicle’s way.

  They started to turn, tanks in the lead, trucks slowly crawling behind, into road that was empty. There was no need for a crowd here after all. Kassandora was not going to be sentenced by Mwai himself, would she? Usually it was clogged with expensive cars with throngs of people on the wide sidewalks. Not today though. The luxurious stores oher side had been shut in protest to what was happening to Kassandora. The restaurants had no guests, only a few people remained on balies and through windows, lug curiously at what was happening below them and drinking their shame away.

  The tanks slowly devoured the vein of asphalt below them. The trucks tried t some life and movement into that .

  And at the end of that road y Kirinyaa’s heart, its National Assembly.

  “I would like to present to the court the most damning piece of evidehat has been found.” It was one of the female wyers this time. A pretty dy, Mateusz did not o look at Pawel to know what the man was going to say. In a bck suit that was so dark it was almost colourless, she was the epitome of professionalism. A cold, bureaucratic, detached professionalism. The sort that Helenna had said they wao avoid entirely. An image came up on the s, the judges looked down as their own monitors fshed with the evidence.

  Mateusz reised it immediately. It was the inal ued version of Operation Sandfire. The first pn, which had waroops to torch the city before Kassandora had thought of filling the sewers with the Recmation’s Wars excess napalm shells. But all the names had been bnked out, the dates too. Important locations. “Do you know what this is?”

  Kassandora looked at the s and sighed. “I do.”

  The woman smiled and pressed on. “This details the destru of Melukal, does it not?”

  Kassandora made a sorry face, her tone low. “Yes.” Mateusz looked on in awe. If he was not aware of Sandfire, he would holy believe the Goddess was hurting right now. Her voice sounded as if she was genuinely in pain.

  “And you were aware of this?”

  “I was.”

  “And this was in your camp?”

  “It was.” Kassandora said with a heavy sigh.

  “Could this proy Melukal?”

  “It could.” Kassandora said.

  “Was…” The Lawyer said, this was a good line of attack. Mateusz had to give the woman that. It was all direct questions, there was nothing open ended about it, no ways for Kassandora to spin her way out of this with questions like that. He felt the crowd of people behind go silent as they re-read the words that weren’t sored several times over. “This pn, did you sider it?”

  “I did read it, so I did sider it.” Kassandora said.

  “End of questioning.” The woman said and sat back down. Mateusz looked over to Pawel, now was his time to shine. He got a thumbs up iurn.

  Damian Sokolowski stopped before the skyscraper that was the headquarters of KTV. Helenna would arrive soon, but everything was going to pn. Ptoons had bee off to secure the other stations, and a full battalion of tanks were moving on the port, another was going to Nanbasa’s main airport. Other squads, of tanks and trucks where moving to blockade the city’s highways. Nanbasa would be locked down today.

  Mwai would have o run.

  The general took a deep breath and walked into the door. His men, all in dark face masks and goggles to obscure their identity followed behind him. Rifles in their arms, a proud swagger to them. Damian was the only oh his face exposed, in a dark HAUPT suit, a coat that fell past his knees, a cap on his head. A sabre on his belt, a pistol oher. Helenna had dressed him up to look as imposing as possible. His bck boots clicked against the white tile of the floor as bright mps shone overhead. The people inside, everyog the TV that pyed Kassandora’s court case live, all turned immediately when they heard him.

  “No one move!” Damian shouted. “This building is now under and of the Kirinyaan Armed Forces!” He crossed the distao the clerk at the front desk. A young woman, barely twenty, whose dark face had grown pale as sat up in her seat. Damian pulled a folder from out of his coat. “This is to be dispyed on the broadcast, now.”

  The clerk bli the e folder, she made a nervous smile, a mirthless ugh, those brown eyes ran up Damian as he towered over her. “I… I… I wi-will have t.” She squeaked the words out as if she was a tiny mouse. “Fo-Fo-For permis…sion…” Damian swung his arm and threw his coat back. His haled on his pistol, the girl’s eyes travelled to it in shod fear.

  “I wasn’t asking.”

  Kassandora watched Pawel take the stand. A talented man with skill in bat and, more importantly, a good head. Plenty of experien the Twis, plenty of experien Sokolowski’s front too. The only thing she could find to pin about was a crass sense of humour, but if tried to root humour out of her army, it would quickly be her alone. He stood there to lead the responses, without any papers, and spread his arms out in the suit. He was talking to her and the cameras both. She looked at those wyers, they had begun this sessioioning the petency of her men. If her men weren’t petent, they wouldn’t have survived for so long. “Goddess Kassandora, of War.” He said it the same way he would be talking to a ptoon of soldiers. Every camera would catch him, a single word would not be missed. “Is it true that this dot came into your possession?”

  “It is.” Kassandora replied. She had only worried at the start, because her men had initially takeand. Now though, she allowed herself to be guided. There was no reason to try and intervene, Helenna had been right, they knew what they were doing.

  “Did you write this dot?”

  “I did not.” Kassandora said. She could see the battle-lines in front of her start to crumble as Pawel led a fnking assault from the side. This would be a victory alright.

  “Do you know who did?”

  “I do not.” Kassandora replied. She khe basic questions, they knew how she would ahey had been revised well, Helenna kly what to say in a court of politics like this. Pawel made a knowing smile as he tinued.

  “So how did you e into possession of this dot?” Kassandora smiled and took a deep breath.

  “To not bore you, I will a short expnation of my pnning. Generals and h ranking officers are able to submit battle pns to me. I sider all ideas, no matter how outndish they are but some, like this one, are hahrough an anonymous pn box.” That was all a lie, there was no such thing. But it would make perfect sense for there to be something like this. “Things people don’t want their tached to.”

  Pawel smiled, nodded aended an arm out to the dot. “And what value does this provide?”

  Mwai’s wyers immediately took the opportunity. “Obje, this question is not relevant to the case at hand.”

  “Sustained. Move on Pawel.” The man smiled, Kassandora knew he would be the first oo be kicked out.

  “So all pns have to be sidered, no matter how outndish they are?”

  And it happened again. “Obje, irrelevant!”

  “Sustained, question.”

  “Because it is impossible to think through everything oneself, so even anonymous ideas like this could be used to say, realise Melukal’s exposed position and order an evacuation pre-emptively?”

  “Obje! Irrelevant to the charges and pure specution!”

  “Sustained. Pawel, this is your first warning verbal warning.” Pawel only smiled. He turo the cameras. Kassandora remaihere, still. This was the point, it wasn’t to win some legal battle. It was to wihe audie home. The judges could sustain every obje that resented, but they couldn’t make people fet the words they just heard.

  Pawel did not even look at the judges to aowledge them. “Would you say that this dot helped prepare you for the siege of Melukal?”

  “I did not take it into at.” Kassandora said.

  “Why did you not take it into at?” Pawel asked. He really was enjoying this. Kassandora took a deep breath and stuck to pn.

  “I had other pns to sider.”

  “So what do you make of such a dot, one of many, being used in a courtroom as evidence? Is it not farcical?”

  “Obje! Leading question!”

  “Sustained. Pawel, this is your sed warning. You will be removed if you break regutions again.” The man smiled, he did not turn to the judge, he took a step off the podium and looked directly at the cameras.

  “I simply have nothing to ask about a military pn, because it is our job as soldiers to sider every and any sario possible. Our enemy does it, in order to win anything more serious than a game of dice, it is vital to sider such things.” He took a step forwards as the seven judges looked at him in stunned shock. Kassandora supposed they had never been so btantly disrespected. “This is not even the worst of them, I personally submitted something far more insidious. That too was not used.”

  The head judge started banging his gavel. “This is irrelevant to the case at hand! If you wish to make a statement, you have to wait for the end of questioning.” Pawel turo the judge.

  “Your honour. The courtroom is your realm, but the war is ours. If you do not respect us, we will not return the respe turn.” The judge blinked. Kassandora kept her mouth shut, she wao burst out in ughter as Pawel tinued. “Frankly, the only opinion I have on Goddess Kassandora needing to defend herself for winning the war is that this is a far its ey.” And Pawel spat on the ground.

  Kassandora blihat wasn’t part of the pn. She tained her urge to smile. That was it, goodbye Pawel. You served well in this battle.

  One man down. Eleve.

  Aimone called Wissel. The man would no doubt be watg Doschia’s TWT broadcast, but Rilia had not sent a news-crew to Kirinyaa. There simply weren’t enough reporters avaible in this nation, and everyone who watched the news would prefer either EIE or TWT instead.

  But Aimone was watg the KTV stream. He saw the s ge. Kassandora’s court case took up the right half of the s, and a picture of Mwai took up the left. The cast of four reporters were looking shaken, almost as if they had just been panig. “We have just received a letter. This is from an official sourd it’s firmed to be real.” The lead reporter, a dark woman in a blue suit, said. She blihe others did too. One of the men’s mouth fell open.

  “This is a letter.” The woman said. “We’re bring it up on s and…” She trailed off. “This is… from… the presi… Mwai Ruku…”

  The letter came on s as the picture of Mwai shrunk. Aimone narrowed his eyes as he focused oext. Someone on their end quickly fixed it, the picture zoomed in. There was nothing that o be said. The first sentence was enough. ‘I am writing to the White Pantheon on behalf of Kirinyaa. Kassandora has grown to. You were right.’

  Wissel answered the phone. “Are you watg KTV?”

  “I am.”

  “What is there to say about this evidence? We have no sources, we have no ts. Any information that could be used to identify any of the authors of these dots has beeed. Goddess Kassandora has denied knowledge of half of them already!” Mateusz watched Theodore hold up the piece of paper. This was still three men had been removed from court for breach of jurisdi, but it was getting obvious who the judge would side with now. The arguments they were making weren’t , they weren’t professional, they weren’t by the book.

  But there was no such thing as a battle that was , a battle that rofessional or a battle that went by the book. Theodore turned and showed the empty paper to everyone in the room. “ I write whatever I want on this and submit it too? Or is only Mwai Ruku allowed to do that?”

  The judge banged his gavel. And they took another casualty.

  Mwai looked out his window as he drank straight from the bottle. Twelve tanks were lined up outside the parliament building. Behind them, more than twice that number in trucks. And out spilled hundreds of soldiers. Mwai took a deep breath. He supposed this was it. He had gone against the Goddess of War, and the Goddess of War turned her sights on him. He dowhe rest of the bottle in one go.

  Mwai drunkenly stumbled onto his chair, took a deep breath, let the bottle fall onto the red carpet and sighed. He sighed and listened.

  Listened as the front door was forced open.

  Listeo the orders being given downstairs.

  Listeo the cries and screams.

  Listeo the ands.

  He listeo the silence as the ministers gave up.

  He listened, maybe some part of him hoped someone would be strong enough to say no. But that no never came, and no bullet was fired.

  He listened as soldiers marched up the stairs.

  He listened as they kicked down his door.

  He listened as he watched them enter, every man obscured. Helmets and pitch bck goggles over face masks. Each man in full armour, with a rifle in his hands.

  He listened in silence as one man opened his back pad pulled out a suitcase.

  He listeo his hands open the cork of yet another bottle.

  He listened and closed his eyes and listeo the sound of a match being sparked.

  He listeo the sound of fmes.

  Kassandora made a ft expression as the judge spoke tiving the nature of this case, if you would like to make one final statement, we will allow it.”

  Kassandora took a deep breath. “I have only ohing to say. I have served Kirinyaa. I will serve Kirinyaa until either Arda cims one of us. I have nothing else to say, I will accept whatever judgement you cast upon me, as long as this try exists or I walk the world, I will respect it.”

  It was on the nose, but she knew she had won.

  Damian Sokolowski stepped in front of the cameras iV headquarters. He took a deep breath. Helenna had e arrived, she was holding the script. Something strong and definite she said. The sort of decisive strength that men could respect.

  Damian took a deep breath and looked directly at the cameras as the news casters left the view. They wouldn’t be important now. He clicked his tongue and maintained his eyes. Helenna motioned for him to start. So he did.

  “My name is General Damian Sokolowski. I led Frore during the White Pantheon’s Invasions. I currently lead the Sed Army in the Recmation War.” He took a pause as Helenna raised her palms. She let the words hang for a few seds, theurwo thumbs up. “Due to the farce of a trial against Goddess Kassandora, the military ot stand by. Our duty is for Kirinyaa and for Kirinyaa aloo anyone who stands against Goddess Kassandora, where were you mere months ago? The reason you even make such statements is because we won. To the politis who fear their positions, I have only this to say. It is your fear that did this. It is entirely your fault we were pushed past breaking point. And to the proud people of Kirinyaa, I wish you all a good day, we won against the White Pantheon, we win every day against the Jungle, we will not be defeated by limp-wristed bureaucrats.”

  “From this moment, the National Assembly is dissolved. Goddess Kassandora is decred not guilty. The military will lead Kirinyaa in this flict against the Jungle.”

  “This court finds Goddess Kassandora, of War...” The judge took a pause and a heavy breath. Kassandora stood there a her face still. It was obvious. It had to be. She didn’t know why she was w. “Not guilty.”

  And the room erupted into tears and cheers.

  Arascus walked through the upper levels of the National Assembly, there was dirty bck smoke slowly fogging up the ceilings, although the corridors had been built for Divines. A squad of soldiers were approag him silently, in uniforms, with facemasks and goggles obsg their faces. They stopped and saluted. He dismissed them with his own salute. Arascus turned looked at the soldiers as the fire behind them broke down a door and started dev the carpets. “What happened here?” He asked.

  “Mwai Ruku, the President of Kirinyaa, in an effort to hide his treachery and collusion with the White Pantheo fire to his own room.” The man lifted his arm and showed Arascus the suitcase. “We have salvaged what we .” Arascus only smiled.

  “And Mwai?”

  “We believe he has already perished by the time we arrived.”

  Kassandora stepped outside the court-room. The Sun had set. The stars had e out. The crowd cheered for her, but she barely noticed them.

  Her eyes were entirely flying on the fgs gently blowing in the breeze. Gone was the green-red-blue tricolour. It had been repced by the red-white-bck. A fg from an a age, ohat had not been flown since Rhomaion fell.

  A fg of Empire.

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